Some Caitlin Clark fans have taken her on-court rivalry with Angel Reese way too far – and now a retired WNBA star is speaking out.
Reese previously opened up on the racist abuse that Clark fans have subjected her to at times, with some even said to have created fake AI nudes of Reese and sending them to her family.
And Renee Montgomery, who played in the league from 2009-19, called out Clark fans who are crossing the line.
‘Something sinister is happening online with Caitlin’s fanbase and these stans that needs to be addressed,’ she said on her Montgomery and & Company podcast.
‘…A lot of the fans on social media feel the same – that ain’t a representation of us. Y’all not like us, they not like us. So please don’t confuse me saying ‘motivated by hate’ meaning hating on a team the way a normal diehard fan would.
Angel Reese previously disclosed the racist abuse that Caitlin Clark fans subjected her to
On @MontgomeryCoPod I address Caitlin Clark Stans. A hit dog will holla pic.twitter.com/UZDmiqnlqa
— Renee Montgomery (@ReneeMontgomery) September 17, 2024
And former WNBA star Renee Montgomery called out those offending fans on her podcast
‘It’s OK to be a hater in sports, hating in sports is a part of the game,’ she continued. ‘I like when our fans are so engaged and so passionate that they just don’t like the other team. But being racist, sexist and violent with your words – come on now, what are we doing?’
Montgomery noted that Clark is ‘not asking’ racist or sexist fans to latch themselves onto her, while Reese has previously called Clark an ‘amazing player’ and said she doesn’t believe the Indiana Fever star condones hate.
Nonetheless, Montgomery said, ‘it seems they [racists and sexists] found a home in this fanbase.’
Speaking on her Unapologetically Angel podcast earlier this month, Reese detailed some of the abuse she’s faced at the hands of Clark super-fans.
‘Sometimes it is very disrespectful,’ she said. ‘I think there is a lot of racism when it comes to it and I don’t believe [Clark] stands for any of that.’
The Chicago Sky star, who is missing the rest of the WNBA season with a wrist injury, added that she had been followed home at times and received death threats.
‘When it comes to death threats – I’m talking about people coming down to my address, follow me home – it has come down to that.
Angel Reese on her relationship with Caitlin Clark 👀
Watch full episode here: https://t.co/PRkTaOQ3PO pic.twitter.com/VXGafURpvk
— Unapologetically Angel (@angelreeseshow) September 5, 2024
Reese and Clark have had some testy on-court moments but have both praised each other
‘Multiple occasions people have made AI pictures of me like naked, literally. They have sent them to my family members. Uncles have sent them to me like ‘are you naked on Instagram?’.
‘It sucks to see that, it is really hard that I have to go through that and see other players that have to go through that.’
Reese and Clark have had their share of testy on-court encounters dating back to college – with Reese mocking Clark in the closing stages of the 2023 national championship – but both players have praised each other’s game this year and Clark previously downplayed suggestions that she sees Reese as a rival.
‘I’m pretty sure that the only people who view this as a rivalry is all of you,’ Clark said, speaking to media in June.
‘For us, it’s just a game of basketball. That’s what it is. If it’s going to help move the game forward then absolutely (she’s a rival). That’s amazing. That’s what it should be. People can talk about it.’
